Medical Anatomy practicals can be simple ID, origin insertion, or secondary questions. The written exams are going to be much more clinically oriented than undergrad. I don't go to cinc but I'm sure anatomy is the same at every med school
University of Cincinnati M.S. in Physiology 2014-2015
- Thread starter The Helpful Aye Aye
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Graduate Medical Physiology (GMP) is more detailed and more specific than undergraduate Physiology. Specifically, you'll be examining osmolarity, muscle function, ion channel function, and cardiac physiology in the first semester. The second semester you'll be examining renal function and pulmonary function.
The anatomy is very specific to GI/Endocrine/Reproduction. Typically, you'll be asked to identify a structure (muscle, nerve, vessel, bone, etc.), but as stated earlier, the questions can be secondary or even tertiary. So for instance, they can tag a muscle and ask "what bone does the tag structure attach to"? Or they can ask a clinically oriented question like, "Where is the most common site of cancer among the tagged structures" or "An abnormality during development of this tagged structure is called what?"
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I wouldn't recommend aiming for an arbitrary number of hours studied. Maybe you worked in an immunology lab or CV physiology is just intuitive to you. Maybe you'll have to spend an inordinate amount of time making flash cards to remember common antibiotics. Just try to get a working knowledge of the material as quickly as possible.
Don't worry if you never took physio, anatomy, molecular bio, etc. in undergrad. If you took the MCAT then you know enough basic science to succeed here.
Don't worry if you never took physio, anatomy, molecular bio, etc. in undergrad. If you took the MCAT then you know enough basic science to succeed here.
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I heard they study in huddled masses
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The 4th floor MS study rooms are usually pretty well populated.
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Any updates on how this current class is doing with acceptances (in general, but especially to UCCOM)? I had heard from a guy who knows a guy that there was a drop in both people applying during the program and overall acceptances to UCCOM.
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I guess as long as the percentage of acceptances holds up to years past, I wouldn't find a lower overall number of acceptances too worrying if less people are applying. So I hope that's the case.
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I think 9 from the 2014 class have been accepted to UCCOM so far. 2 other people have been accepted elsewhere. The sense I get is that fewer people applied same-year from our class than did last year. Again, none of this is certified correct and just to give you a sense of the numbers.
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How's the housing search going for you guys? I'm guessing everyone probably is all set :/ I am scrambling to find a place but it's really hard because I don't know anyone in Cincinnati and I can't fly out there for showings before actually moving. I know which neighborhoods to look at but most places want me to come by for a showing but I can't do that. Anyway if anyone's still looking for a roommate, please let me know 
Edit: Not looking for a roommate anymore but thanks.
Edit: Not looking for a roommate anymore but thanks.
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So..how long will the drive be to watch LeBron James play in Cleveland? 
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How's the housing search going for you guys? I'm guessing everyone probably is all set :/ I am scrambling to find a place but it's really hard because I don't know anyone in Cincinnati and I can't fly out there for showings before actually moving. I know which neighborhoods to look at but most places want me to come by for a showing but I can't do that. Anyway if anyone's still looking for a roommate, please let me know
I managed to find an apartment near school and am excited for the move. A month ago when I was looking for a studio there were a few available at gaslightproperty. If you haven't already tried, I recommend giving them a call and telling them your situation. They were responsive and helpful when I was dealing with them.
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Forgot to acknowledge this- cool! So that makes 90% overall which is slightly less than previous years but a good sign. 78% of students who applied same year from c/0 2013 got in somewhere... positive vibes.
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Reading more on sdn about smps and in this thread specifically, I'm starting to get nervous about this program. From the success of past classes, it must certainly be doable, right? The panic is starting...
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Hahaha I totally feel that. I went from being so happy to freaking the f out.
In the end, I've decided to think of SMPs like cinci as actual medical school. I was worrie about the fact that I'd be graded against incoming MEDICAL STUDENTS but then I realized that once I'm there, that's all I'll be doing anyways.
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A little bit of anxiety is normal but try not to freak out. As someone else already said, you actually have a leg up on the med students when it comes to the (bi)weekly exams. You will have fewer responsibilities (no clinical coursework) and more time to study the core lecture material.
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That would be my (admittedly uninformed) explanation. There are loads of variables at play in admissions. Still, the odds are pretty damn good.
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I'm guessing 21 since that's the number of active applications listed on the website? I think that the staff is not counting applications for 2015 matriculation, but of course I could be wrong :/
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You're right
Good eye, that one initially escaped me. I'm not sure why less SMP students decided to apply within the same year. That being said, this class's same-year success rate was 52 percent, but historically, is about 67 percent. It's possible that this year's SMP class had to compete with an exceptionally strong M1 class, but even then, 52 percent isn't too shabby at all.
Hello, I will be attending UC for the MS in Pharmacology (also a 1 year program), and I am looking for a place to live! Does anyone know of a female looking for a roommate or what are good apartments close to campus? Thanks
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Only 21 people from our class applied. People had a variety of reasons for not applying this year. Some people came in with an expired MCAT. Many others had just gone through a med school admissions process with very little success and just didn't feel ready to turn right back around again and reapply. Others were maybe interested until waiting until after the program because they thought it might give them a shot at California schools (no one from the program has ever gotten into a California school, but perhaps that will change after this cycle).
I don't know if the M1 class was exceptionally strong compared to other M1 classes at UC. The med student average was quite high indeed in many cases, but I don't think things were out of the ordinary.
I would probably say the percentage of people getting into med school is lower for a combination of reasons:
1) Several people with very strong applications waited until this cycle to apply.
2) University of Cincinnati waited until later in the cycle to start interviewing people. Last year, they gave out interviews starting in November and December; this year, the first crop of interviewees from the program interviewed in January. Why? No one knows.
3) Random chance.
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Leaving for "The Queen City" next week. Gotta try this skyline chili I've been reading about.
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Do yourself a favor and skip skyline
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Yup moving next week as well. Working on secondaries, packing, and searching for housing all at once is a bit stressful...
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Does anyone know how much $ will be owed at the end of the program if the full amount of direct unsubsidized and direct grad PLUS loans are taken out?
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I think it's over $57k if you get the maximum allowed. Which would leave around $17k for COL after tuition (subtract ~$1000 for health insurance too if you don't have one already).
P.S. I heard from admissions that they got over 400 applications this year. For 32 spots. Crazy!
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I'm looking at the alumni page from the program, and it seems like most of them (>80%) came from well-known (top) institutions. Is this program a crapshoot for those who have sub-par GPAs and attended a somewhat lesser prestige institution?
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IMO, it's a crapshoot for anyone. I would still apply though.
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Sub par GPAs are exactly what SMPs are created to address. Low gpa+ high mcat +do good in smp=medical school.
As for prestige of undergrad, I think it's mostly irrelevant.
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I agree with you. However, it seems most of the alumni from the program were from a UC school, Duke, Vanderbelt, etc. Oh well, i guess it doesn't hurt to apply.
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I don't think prestige of undergrad matters that much. I think it's more that people at prestigious institutions are more likely to be good at standardized tests, even if they've made some mistakes in their class work, so they're maybe a better source of people with low GPAs and high MCATs. After all, nobody cares where an SMP's students came from. All that matters is where they went to medical school and how they got in.
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I think so. Maybe someone who has a better grasp of the numbers and trends can chime in.
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IIRC, the people hovering around 3.0 in my class seemed to have higher MCATs. I was waitlisted with 3.4/34, for what its worth. Maybe @GorgeousBorges can chime in.
But it is possible to get into the SMP hovering around 3.0?
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Apply very early and simultaneously take classes to get your GPA above a 3.0... (worked for me)
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Of those I know from my class nobody had a sub-3.0, but a few were somwhere between 3.0 and 3.2.
Awesome. Thanks for the input.
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Hey, @bball4 , so your MCAT is where it needs to be--I believe there are a few people this year in that range who aren't rocking 35+ MCATs or anything (though that probably helps). However, I'm sure you've seen that the SMP's website states that the minimum required GPA is a 3.0, so definitely do everything you can to break that 3.0 bubble this year. (And I have no speculation to offer as to whether or not they're flexible on that.)
But, that being said, here's my tidbit of insight:
So the department of Physiology doesn't have an affiliation with COM admissions (but has several people who used to be part of that process)---Admissions won't see your SMP grades unless you send them and we were told to treat applying to UCCOM like any other med school as far as continuing to send update letters, etc. The MS program is looking for that diamond in the rough applicant (to quote the program director). If they accept you, they think you're med school material and want to be able to sell you to adcoms, be that UC or elsewhere, by showing off your performance. If you're coming in with a pretty low GPA, they definitely want to see an upward trend and some heart---something that shows them you won't make the same mistakes (or whatever it may have been) when you get here as in undergraduate.
In my case, I did an extra year of undergrad to help sure up my numbers, do more volunteering, and just generally show consistency (you could have plotted a sine wave against my term GPA). Specifically, I went from a ~2.9 in my first 60 sGPA hours to a ~3.6 in my last 40 sGPA hours when I was taking my major-level science courses (my non-science GPA was solid). Don't get too caught up in the numbers though, that was just if you were curious. This is an SMP that prides itself on staying small.... they are looking for the "intangibles". What they liked about each of our applications is anyone's guess, but for what it's worth, I think the people in my class are awesome and it makes the many, many hours we spend working our butts off to beat the med average that much better. I see from other threads that you've started some ad-hoc post-bacc work already, as was the case for several people who were accepted into this year's SMP class---it is viewed very favorably. Keep at it.
But, that being said, here's my tidbit of insight:
So the department of Physiology doesn't have an affiliation with COM admissions (but has several people who used to be part of that process)---Admissions won't see your SMP grades unless you send them and we were told to treat applying to UCCOM like any other med school as far as continuing to send update letters, etc. The MS program is looking for that diamond in the rough applicant (to quote the program director). If they accept you, they think you're med school material and want to be able to sell you to adcoms, be that UC or elsewhere, by showing off your performance. If you're coming in with a pretty low GPA, they definitely want to see an upward trend and some heart---something that shows them you won't make the same mistakes (or whatever it may have been) when you get here as in undergraduate.
In my case, I did an extra year of undergrad to help sure up my numbers, do more volunteering, and just generally show consistency (you could have plotted a sine wave against my term GPA). Specifically, I went from a ~2.9 in my first 60 sGPA hours to a ~3.6 in my last 40 sGPA hours when I was taking my major-level science courses (my non-science GPA was solid). Don't get too caught up in the numbers though, that was just if you were curious. This is an SMP that prides itself on staying small.... they are looking for the "intangibles". What they liked about each of our applications is anyone's guess, but for what it's worth, I think the people in my class are awesome and it makes the many, many hours we spend working our butts off to beat the med average that much better. I see from other threads that you've started some ad-hoc post-bacc work already, as was the case for several people who were accepted into this year's SMP class---it is viewed very favorably. Keep at it.
I've got a question about the personal statement for the UC SMP application for anyone who can offer an answer. The application states:
"Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement/Letter of Intent should be a written statement defining your interest in the program. We are happy to accept statements that are directed toward Medical School Admissions."
Does this mean we can use our AMCAS personal statement for this application, or is it a good idea to rewrite it so that it is more geared towards an SMP? FWIW I did NOT apply to UC this cycle.
"Statement of Purpose/Personal Statement/Letter of Intent should be a written statement defining your interest in the program. We are happy to accept statements that are directed toward Medical School Admissions."
Does this mean we can use our AMCAS personal statement for this application, or is it a good idea to rewrite it so that it is more geared towards an SMP? FWIW I did NOT apply to UC this cycle.
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People have gotten into the program using either. People have also not gotten into the program using one over the other.
Less cryptically, I didn't use my AMCAS personal statement in its entirety- given the fact that this is smallest class size of the informally "top ranked" SMPs, expressing specific interest in UC is probably more important than at other schools. Writing your whole statement about a place you've never been is difficult, so I started off my statement with a why UC's SMP and then finished with a short background about my interest in medicine.
